Battle of Balmorra

During the Galactic Civil War, the factory planet of Balmorra served as the main producer of AT-ST vehicles for the Galactic Empire. Following the Battle of Endor in 4 ABY and the passing of Galactic Emperor Palpatine, the Alliance to Restore the Republic liberated the world. In 10 ABY, the Emperor was resurrected, having been reborn in a clone body. Within months of his return, Balmorra was once more under Imperial control.

The planet's factories commenced production of advanced weaponry for the Empire, most notably the newly developed SD-9-series battle droid. During this period, engineer Umak Leth was tasked with collaborating with Balmorra's development teams to further refine the SD-9's design, resulting in the creation of the SD-10 battle droid model, which entered mass production and was slated for Imperial service. However, Hinch Beltane, the governor of the planet, identified an opportunity to employ the new droids to restore Balmorra's independence. Secretly from Leth, Beltane instructed his designers to enhance the SD-10 model with rapid-response servomotors, point-of-impact shielding, and even experimental self-healing metals. Furthermore, Beltane initiated the development of a new X-1 Viper Automadon droid in secrecy from the Dark Empire. This colossal machine, based entirely on Balmorran designs, was equipped with groundbreaking molecular shielding, which absorbed the energy from an attacker's blasts and used it to power the droid.

Beltane intended to sell his latest creation, along with other Balmorran products, to the New Republic. He soon found an opportunity when Palpatine suffered another death near the New Republic Pinnacle Base, leaving his Dark Empire without leadership. Believing Palpatine's death to be permanent, he exploited the Empire's weakened state and began openly supplying the New Republic with his war droids, although the X-1 model was not yet included, as the droids had not yet been tested in combat. Despite Beltane's official alliance with the Empire and continued supply, his dealings with the New Republic attracted the attention of Military Executor Sedriss QL, who temporarily oversaw the Empire's war efforts in Palpatine's absence. Sedriss selected Balmorra as the next target for Operation Shadow Hand, a series of strikes against rebellious worlds near the Galactic Core.

A fleet of five Star Destroyers entered orbit around Balmorra. Sedriss himself was aboard his flagship, the Star Destroyer Avenger, accompanied by his sergeants at arms Vill Goir and Krdys Mordi. Sedriss' forces included Shadow Droids, unique starfighters developed by Leth and produced outside the standard Imperial supply network, directly in the Deep Core. The Shadow Droids were constructed around the brains of deceased Dark Empire fighter aces. These brains were cybernetically linked to the machines and empowered with the dark side of the Force by Palpatine himself.

Once assembled, the fleet stood ready to open fire on the planet at Sedriss' command. However, the darksider ordered the fleet to remain on standby, instead preparing his ground troops for deployment. Sedriss then contacted Beltane via viewscreen, demanding that the Governor place his factories entirely under Imperial control and surrender himself for execution due to his treasonous actions. If Beltane refused, Sedriss threatened to destroy Balmorra and exterminate its entire population.

Beltane remained unfazed by the darksider's threats, asserting that the Empire should be content with Balmorra's continued supply of battle droids. Mordi reminded Sedriss that the SD-10s were scheduled to leave Balmorra's factories soon. Sedriss acknowledged the Empire's need for these new droids, explaining his intention to capture the planet without damaging its factories. Ordering his troops to land on the planet's surface, Sedriss informed the Governor that he would now accept Beltane's surrender. Refusing to comply with these terms, Beltane declared that his troops would fight for Balmorra's freedom.

Imperial dropships deployed a force comprising 700 AT-ST walkers, 382 SD-9 battle droids, 36,000 Stormtroopers, and troop transports, all under the command of Captain Maximilian Veers. This force landed on the plains near the capital city, Bin Prime. Following a battle plan he had devised, Sedriss directed his forces to converge on the city. Beltane responded by deploying his own troops, consisting of Balmorran soldiers and SD-10 droids. As a battle commenced between the two sides, Beltane's entire force was drawn out of the city and into the open plains surrounding it.

Initially, the battle favored Balmorran forces, as the superior SD-10s—programmed with tactics specifically designed to counter the older SD-9s—decimated their opponents. Imperial forces began suffering heavy losses, and Captain Veers reported these developments to Sedriss. Sedriss had anticipated significant Imperial casualties from the outset but was satisfied with the cost. Implementing his strategy, the Executor ordered his remaining ground troops to retreat and activated the Shadow Droids. The cybernetic starfighters launched from the Star Destroyers' hangars and flew toward the battle site. These droids executed aerial attack runs on Beltane's forces, shifting the battle's momentum in the Empire's favor. Lacking programming to defend against aerial attacks, the SD-10 droids began falling victim to the nimble fighters en masse. Deviating from the original invasion plan, the Shadow Droids also devastated Balmorra's infrastructure.

Upon learning of these developments, Beltane decided to unveil his own secret weapon, issuing Emergency Initiative Alpha, an order to unleash the X-1 Viper droids, which proved superior to the Shadow Droids. Veers' ground forces engaged the Automadons, but the droids' molecular shielding proved too resilient for the Dark Empire troops, resulting in Veers' death. Sedriss attempted to recall the Shadow Droids, but all the starfighters had already been destroyed. Witnessing the X-1 in action, which had been developed clandestinely from the Empire, Goir and Mordi declared that Beltane had violated his treaty with the Empire and urged Sedriss to retaliate with an orbital bombardment of Balmorra. However, Sedriss rejected this course of action. Impressed by the X-1 model's combat capabilities, he recognized its potential as an invaluable asset in the ongoing fight against the New Republic. Believing that acquiring the droids was paramount, Sedriss contacted Beltane, inquiring about the price he sought for the machines.

Beltane demanded Balmorra's freedom from the Empire. If this condition was met, he would consider selling the X-1 droids to Sedriss on a contractual basis. Reluctantly, Sedriss agreed to these terms, although he intended to launch a retaliatory strike against Balmorra once he possessed the Vipers. An hour later, Sedriss dispatched an envoy to the planet's surface to negotiate the treaty's terms. Once all formalities were completed, Sedriss signed a treaty with Beltane, officially granting Balmorra freedom from the Empire and withdrawing all Imperial forces from the planet.

Beltane seemingly honored his agreement, selling a shipment of X-1 Viper droids to Sedriss, destined for the Empire's capital, the Deep Core world of Byss. However, Beltane continued to operate secretly against Sedriss. He contacted Mon Mothma, the leader of the New Republic, recounting the battle's events. He then provided the New Republic with the precise route of the transports carrying the droids, along with the cargo ships' registry numbers and access codes. This enabled the New Republic to intercept the shipment mid-flight. Following a strategy devised by Generals Wedge Antilles and Lando Calrissian, the New Republic had commando teams positioned inside the droids. Upon the machines' arrival at the Emperor's Citadel on Byss, the commandos planned to activate the droids and launch a daring strike at the heart of the Empire.

Unaware of this, Sedriss faced other challenges, as his truce with Beltane was deemed a failure by the Imperial Ruling Circle on Byss. Two Dark Side Adepts, Nefta and Sa-Di, began competing to have Sedriss executed for his failure to subjugate Balmorra. The Adepts also initiated rumors that Palpatine was dead and would not inhabit another clone body, even though numerous bodies remained concealed within the Emperor's Citadel. Sedriss returned to Byss, accompanied by members of the Dark Side Elite. He confronted the traitorous Adepts and killed them. Palpatine, who had returned in a final clone body, witnessed the scene and was pleased with Sedriss' loyalty. The Emperor once again assumed command of the Empire.

The X-1 Viper droids, manned by the New Republic infiltrators, later arrived on Byss. As planned, the droids attacked the Emperor's Citadel. The surprise assault caught the defenders off guard, but the reborn Palpatine responded by unleashing vicious Chrysalide rancors. These creatures repelled the New Republic attack, causing the surviving members of the strike team to retreat with the assistance of local smugglers.

The Battle of Balmorra first appeared in Dark Empire II 1, a 1994 comic created by Tom Veitch with illustrations by Cam Kennedy. The battle initiated the Star Wars: Dark Empire comic series and introduced Imperial Executor Sedriss QL and Balmorran Governor Beltane. The battle was subsequently featured in the audio drama adaptation of the comic series. The battle received mentions in several Star Wars reference books in subsequent years.

The audio drama of Dark Empire diverges from the original comic Dark Empire II regarding certain aspects of the battle's chronology. In the audio version, Krdys Mordi is absent, and Vill Goir is the sole Dark Jedi accompanying Sedriss. After Sedriss presents his ultimatum to Beltane, the Governor orders his planetary defenses to open fire on Sedriss' fleet. Enraged by this attack, Sedriss orders the landing of ground troops, who advance directly into the capital city and attempt to capture it, instead of drawing the Imperials outside the city as depicted in the comics. The number of Imperial troops also differs slightly, with the Balmorran defenders estimating "close to 30,000 stormtroopers and 400 SD-9 droids" instead of the precise figures of 36,000 and 382 provided in the comic.